All activities / Wildlife Safaris / Texel
Wildlife Safaris in Texel
The largest of the Wadden islands, off the North Holland coast, a patchwork of dunes, polders, sheep meadows and a national park. Reached by a short ferry from Den Helder, Texel is one of the best places in the Netherlands to see wild harbour and grey seals hauled out on the Wadden Sea sandbanks.
Why here
Texel is where you go in the Netherlands to see seals in the wild rather than in a tank. Both harbour and grey seals live year-round on the sandbanks of the Wadden Sea and the North Sea shoal of De Razende Bol off the island's south point, and small boats out of the fishing harbour of Oudeschild slip in close to where they haul out to rest. A grey seal is a big animal, up to two-and-a-half metres, and watching a colony of them lounge, spar and slide off the bank into the water a short distance away is the sort of encounter people travel far for and here it is a half-hour boat ride. On the island itself, Ecomare rehabilitates sick and orphaned seals and returns them to the sea, and its aquaria and dune-park displays explain the Wadden Sea system you have just been out on. It works as a single day of wildlife: an hour on the water to see the wild colonies, then time ashore with the rescue centre that cares for the ones that cannot yet make it alone.
Best months
Seal boat tours run mainly from spring to autumn, roughly March to October, when sailings are frequent and the animals sit out on the exposed banks; hauled-out numbers are highest around low tide. Trips last about half an hour to an hour and go regardless of light rain, though they can be cancelled in strong wind. The Wadden Sea here is UNESCO World Heritage and boats keep a respectful distance from the colonies. Grey seals pup in winter and harbour seals in summer, so there is something to see across the year.
Getting there & around
Texel is a 20-minute ferry from Den Helder, itself reachable by direct train from Amsterdam in about 75 minutes; on the island a bus network and bike rental link the villages. Seal boat trips leave from Oudeschild harbour and should be booked ahead in summer and on fine weekends. Bring a windproof layer and something warm even on a bright day, as it is cold and breezy on the water. Ecomare is near De Koog and pairs naturally with a boat trip to round out the day.
Skill levels: beginner
Schools & guides (2)
Ecomare
OrganizerEcomare is the nature centre for the Wadden Sea and North Sea on Texel, part seal sanctuary, part nature museum and part aquarium, in the Dunes of Texel National Park near De Koog. Each year it takes in and rehabilitates around 100 young, sick or injured seals and releases the recovered animals back to sea, and its open sea aquaria and exhibitions explain the tidal Wadden Sea, its birds and its marine life. It anchors a seal-watching day on the island alongside the wild boat trips.
Zeehonden Texel
OutfitterZeehonden Texel runs seal-watching boat trips from the harbour of Oudeschild aboard the small vessel Het Sop, skippered by Albert Schagen, whose shallow draught lets it work in close to the sandbanks where harbour and grey seals haul out. The trips head for the Wadden Sea banks and the North Sea shoal of De Razende Bol inside the UNESCO World Heritage area, and carry a money-back seal guarantee. Larger tours aboard the boat Anna add a run past the Den Helder naval base.